My Ryanair Lost Luggage Story with a Happy Ending

Sep 4, 2014

You know it happens, but has it happened to you? You show up at the airport, and your luggage is gone. Missing. Stolen? Broken? Still on the airplane?

This is a quick story about my lost luggage after my Ryanair flight. I’ll explain how it was handled by Ryanair staff and the process of receiving a reimbursement for the items I bought to get by until my bag arrived. Then I’ll list 2 important steps to follow if your luggage is delayed or lost from a Ryanair flight.

(To skip the story and jump to the section: “2 steps: What to do when your luggage is lost on a Ryanair flight”, click here)

On 3 February I flew from Milan, Italy to London, UK. I arrived in Stansted Airport and couldn’t find my bag at the baggage claim area. I waited and waited, but it never showed up. I walked over to what I thought was the Ryanair lost luggage desk, but quickly found out I was at the wrong desk when the worker not-so-kindly told me I was in the wrong place. I located the Ryanair lost luggage desk, and told the lady at the counter, named Teresa, that my bag seemed to be missing.

First, she apologized for actions of the angry worker from the other desk, expressed her concern for my lost luggage, and I handed her my boarding ticket with my luggage sticker.

After checking the details on the luggage sticker and in the computer, she told me that unfortunately, the employee at the check-in counter in Milan had mis-tagged my bag, and it had been sent to Brindisi (a city on the southern tip of Italy). She told me that most likely, the bag wouldn’t make it back until the next day, she apologized for the trouble I was sure to have since I’d be without luggage for a whole day, and asked me about my situation and to describe the bag (so they could be sure to identify it). She then immediately logged the details into the tracking system called World Tracer – which allows them to track the location of luggage, and sent an email to the staff in Brindisi.

She filled out a form and explained the process of returning my bag to me. The staff in Brindisi would place my bag on the next flight to London, it would arrive in the evening, and then it would be sent by courier directly to my hotel. Unfortunately the daily courier would have already come and gone by the time my bag arrived, so it would be sent out the next day. She asked for my contact information and told me she would keep me updated by email as soon as she heard any updates on the location of my bag, and that the courier would call me when he was on his way with my bag.

I asked:

“If I buy a toothbrush and razor and things, will I be reimbursed?”

She said:

“If you have travel insurance through your credit card, you may be able to receive a reimbursement from them. Otherwise you can submit a claim to Ryanair, and in most cases, you can get reimburesed, as long as its for essential items like toiletries, etc.”

She then explained how to request the reimbursement online, and handed me the form she had filled out and highlighted a few numbers to make note of. She said she was sorry about my bag, and I was on my way.

I received an email from Teresa that evening apologizing once again for the trouble of my lost bag and to let me know my bag had arrived at the airport and would be delivered the next day. That evening, I purchased some hair gel, a toothbrush, toothpaste, and deodorant and made sure to keep my receipts.

The next day, I wore the same clothes which were rather casual, unfortunately. I had a few important business meetings, but those I was meeting with understood. In the afternoon, I called the courier to ask about my bag and was told it would be delivered between 3pm and 6pm. I returned to my hotel that evening and found my bag, safe and sound, at the hotel check-in desk. I had also received an email from Teresa asking me whether my luggage had arrived. I thought that was very kind of her.

The day after I returned to Milan, I went about requesting a reimbursement for the purchase of my essentials. I went to this page, and with the information on the paper that Teresa gave me, I filled out the form. This is what that form looked like:

Just an hour later, I received an email from Ryanair Customer Support informing me that they had received my request, reviewed the information and approved it, and would be sending me a check to cover those costs.

It was definitely a pain to be without my luggage, wear the same clothes, etc. but I’d say the whole process was quite smooth and handled very well by the customer care team at Ryanair.

2 steps: What to do when your luggage is lost on a Ryanair flight

Has your luggage been lost of delayed after your Ryanair flight? If so, be sure to follow these 2 steps:

STEP #1: Go to the Ryanair lost luggage desk before you leave the airport and report your delayed/lost luggage. You’ll need the form they will give you, and reporting the issue at the airport is the most important part. In most cases you cannot report the issue later. You need to do it at the airport.

Will you receive a reimbursement for everything you buy? Not necessarily. While you can receive compensation for lost/delayed luggage, (read here for more info), the amount varies depending on what was in your bag, the circumstances of the loss or delay, etc. It seems to be up to the airline to decide what is an “essential cost”. (Be sure to read the disclaimer here.) I doubt that new clothes, new luggage, etc, will count as “essential” in the case of delayed luggage. Its up to the airline to make a decision on what they will reimburse you for on a case-by-case basis. My advice is to just buy what you need and don’t abuse the system.

Sounds like you had an happy ending. My luggage been missing for 11 days now and there’s no way I can get a hold of any people from the company. I called the airport plenty of times and no answer. I even went to the airport physically to see if my luggage is there or any information but nothing. Ryanair website doesn’t lead me anywhere as well.

I am having the same experience. Bag lost, day 6 now with no communication from Swissport (Stansted airport luggage company ) or Ryanair. Can’t get through to Swissport Stansted over the phone, there is nobody answering that number they provide on the website. Completely devastated about lost belongings. I am planning a trip to the airport too, just so somebody tells me what happens or I can look for my suitcase..Is it worth it, based on your experience?

I am having the same experience. I flew from Dublin to Stansted and unfortunately my bag didn’t make it to Stansted. The worst part is that they can’t even locate the bag. Officials at Stansted are quite rude and have little to no clue of good customer service, that is when they decide to pick up the phones. I am at a loss for what to do

Ryan Air is completely inept. 4 months ago, on a flight from London to madrid, they forced her and her friends to put the carry on bags as checked luggage. 2 of the 3 people had their bags show up, my daughter not. we even have pictures of them sitting on the tarmac together in London. she has been trying for 4 months now to get her replacements luggage. they do not reply to emails, the chat line just gives email address, that are then either not responded to, or tell her she in missing information, but we can never get a straight answer. I have encouraged her to not give up. do not let Ryan Air desire to not pay out deter her from continuing to chase. she filled out all the forms, went to the airport to report missing. frankly, they don’t give a toss. this is simply the single worst case of customer service I have ever seen, and I have been travelling on airlines for some 30 years.. Ryan Air Absolutely SUCKS.

The exact same thing has happened to me. Luggage been missing for 12 days from Frankfurt to Lisbon. Been to the airport 4 times, no luck. Phoned every day, no luck. Emails, no luck. Basically they are just ignoring me. Honestly I have never experienced such bad service. It seems that they really just don’t care.

It was a nightmare at London stansted airport. Many hundreds of people crowded on areas E & F having almost nobody to talk to, we wanted to check in baggage,but didn’t know where to start the queue, because most people were of cancelled flights who have been waiting for ten hours. Nobody, Ryanair representative, was there, until one of them appeared, the crowd started clapping and cheering for him. This is part one. Part two comes later.

Ruinnair lost my bag between Bristol and Dublin yesterday. I reported the bag to their representative in baggage reclaim, but I can’t get a word out of them today as to whether the bag has turned up or not. I’ve tried phoning the number they gave me but it just rings and rings. I’ve tried emailing, but their agents are just giving me the runaround. I will be claiming and will take them to small claims if they don’t settle for all that I have lost including some expensive medication.

I was flying on 10th of july 2015 from madrid to alghero and the lady from the checkin desk sent my luggage to berlin under the name of the person who was before me on the queue. I did realize it once i couldn’t find my luggage in alghero airport. I went to luggage lost and claim office directly, and the person who attended me didn’t know exactly what to do because the luggage receipt i had was for another person called thomas seitz. I was told to wait. Then i have put the reclamation on ryanair website. Still waiting for any news about my luggage. It looks i will never get it back…

Arrived Las Palmas from Edinburgh with wife and new baby!
Suitcase with mines and daughters never arrived until 5days later!
So had to spend holiday money on essentials everyday,
Thank god her steriliser was there.
Ryanair are a joke of a company

Hi there! Happy to find your happening story since I’m in the same situation at the moment, I’m still waiting my luggage which decided to take an extra holiday before moving to Netherlands from Italy with me. I’ve been notified that it will be delivered to me on Saturday (and it got lost on Tuesday) and I had a few expenses for a few more necessary things like underwear or shirts that were in the bag. I still can get who should I mail to get those stuff refunded since I haven’t been as lucky as you for people taking care of it. Do you have any working email addresses for that? I made a lot of research and you seem to be the one who knows more haha. You can pm me at simo . norfo @ gmail . com if you like. Lot of thanks in advance!!

Hi Simone. I’m glad to hear that your luggage is on your way back to you. And sorry that it happened to you too! Lost luggage can be quite the inconvenience. I don’t have an email address, but you can check out the second part of my post: Two steps to get your luggage back. The second step links to a form you can fill out to request a reimbursement. Be sure to submit the form within 7 days of when your luggage was lost. And I hope everything arrives on Saturday!

Thank you very much for sharing this. I hope to experience a happy end as you did.
My children flew from Milan – bergamo to Athens on Friday the 20th August 2015. Upon arrival at Athens their luggage was not seen in the belt. They proceeded to report and all the necessary note was taken. Up till now we are still tracking the Luggage. Athens blames Milan and vis versa. I like to see the glass half full but I’m afraid my children have lost their luggage so I asked Athens today, what will happen if the luggage is not found. But the lady on the phone was so aggressive or perhaps defensive stating that no passenger has ever enquired about reimbursement before confirmation of loss luggage. She further added that it could be that my children took their luggage and reported
misplaced. This is unbelievable and unacceptable, however I kept my claim till they can trace the lost luggage. I hope I can come back and add a happy ending to this story.

On arriving at Luton airport from Beziers last Thursday 19/8, my cabin case (Ryanair insisted it go in the hold as the flight was full) didn’t show up. I reported it immediately to the desk at Luton so is now on World Tracer. However, it’s now Monday & I’m no nearer knowing where my case is or indeed if I will ever see it again. My French cousin called Beziers airport who said it definitely went on the plane…..can they prove this? Could it have been stolen? I am so upset by this, it’s not about the clothes, footwear, etc, they can all be replaced, but the hassle & inconvenience of having to claim/replace everything, inc an inexpensive but sentimental necklace with my children’s names engraved on & my glasses for short-sightedness! Does anyone have any idea his I can trace my case? Thanks!

Hmmm, I agree – that doesn’t help you much. I remember that after I spoke with the Ryanair agent at the airport, she gave me a timeline and told me she would follow up with a call. I also had their number and email address for follow up. So I did follow up with them to check and see the status of my bag. Are you able to call or email them? If you don’t have that information, I’d recommend calling the support desk at the airport where you reported your lost bag and asking about the status.

Still no sign of my bag. To date I haven’t received one call from Ryanair. I have called them but person on other end of phone absolutely no help whatsoever….just gave me an email address to complain to. This I did & have received no acknowledgement of mh email! Called again today & was told my complaint was logged & I should hear back!! Tried for 3 days to call the baggage desk at Luton airport but no one picking up the phone!
My insurance very helph however they need a declaration of loss from airline to proceed…..I guess I just have to wait!!!

Oh I’m sorry to hear that Heather. What a pain! It is so frustrating when support is either hard to get a hold of or is not very helpful. Do you know at what point the airline will be able to provide you with a declaration of loss? I sure hope they will take care of you in this situation.

I flew from Cologne to Stansted on the 17th of May 2015 . My and my babies luggage is missing since then. I can’t get through to Ryanair, no one calls me back and no email. Unfortunately I didn’t have am insurance and I will never use Ryanair again. Do you have any suggestions what I could do?

Hi Christina,
I’m really sorry to hear about your lost luggage. Its frustrating, I know. Here is a link to the: Ryanair contact page. See if you can get in touch with them on live chat or via a contact form. Thats in the “General Inquiries” area.
Did you talk to the people at the Ryanair luggage desk after you came off the airplane in Stansted? Those are the people that can help you through the process the most.

Hey everyone,
here’s a story I would like to share with you regarding HAND LUGGAGE on Ryanair flights:
During my journey from Cologne to Rome Ciampino on September 19th the stewardess took my baggage and put it in the back of the plane since there was no space in the cabin above my seat. She even gave me a number so I felt quite safe about it. When I left the plane, however, my luggage was gone. Instead, there was another bag which I was told to take to the Lost and Found of the airport. There, they wrote down my name and contact details saying that they would call me if anything happened to the bag I returned or if there were any news of my bag. Anyway, I went to the airport 4 more times (Sep 20, Sep 23, Sep 30, Oct 1) – without success. Today, I found out that another passenger must have taken the bag I returned on September 20th (after I was at the lost and found office), but he does not appear on any flight lists around that time. Noone contacted me or checked his identity and now nobody has a clue where my baggage is.
Ryanair says that hand luggage is not their responsibility and Lost and Found claims that they are just doing me a favor trying to exchange bags that passengers switched on the plane.
However, the stewardess took my luggage on the plane (i.e. I had no chance to look after it) and I am left without all my valuables (electronics, clothes, etc.).
I already tried to contact Ryanair via chat and the Lost and Found in Ciampino, but so far it has not been possible to open a claim. I have no idea what to do anymore since noone really seems to care. Maybe anyone here can help me.

My daughter lost her luggage on a Ryan air flight from Naples to Barcelona. Over a week now and she has heard nothing. A form was filled in and she has tried many times to call and has had no assistance. Please advise what to do.

Sorry about your luggage. I know that is very frustrating. I’d recommend either using the “Contact Us” link at the bottom of the Ryanair website to ask about your request, or that you submit the form again. Also, I read the following:

– Delayed baggage claims will be processed within 15 working days of receipt.
– Lost baggage claims will be processed within 28 working days of receipt (once the full baggage tracing process has been completed)

Try the “Contact Us” link at the bottom of the Ryanair website or try submitting a claim form, as described in this post. Also, here is some information about personal belongings left on the airplane or at the airport:

I’m one of them, they lost my cabin suitcase which was taken from me and put into the hold of aircraft. After countless complaint emails to Ryanair, phone calls to baggage handling company (Swissport), and countless calls to the airport where my luggage didn’t arrive (Rabat, Moroc), it’s been 3 months and still no sign.

In fact, just received a reply from ryanair (finally) saying they were unable to locate my suitcase and to submit a claim. But the big disclaimer on the letter says that their “Insurance Loss Adjustors” will asses each item on the claim. Which means, if the suitcase is worth over £1000, they will only give out £15 !! Even with receipts, they will argue that due to depreciation and wear and tear of item, it’s now worth a penny of the hundreds you paid!

Hardly worth the hassle to even submit the claim!

So sad. I even asked them to request that security look at the camera in Rabat airport to see whether the bag was stolen from the belt, but they refuse and say the camera is only for terrorism or other major incident. What a waste of technology!

Ryaniar is a disgrace!!! I paid £40 to check my luggage in and the staff on desk were being trained obviously not very well as no tag and tracking was on my luggage it’s now been lost and probably stolen!

Do not touch this company the non caring and the sevice is terrible they lost my bag in Romania and i have sent countless forms and emails to them with no reply. My luggage was lost in November I have filled in all the forms and all i need is an email from them to claim my insurance and they will not even send that…..

I am helping my friend to reclaim for her lost luggage. On 10th December 2017 (one of the worst snow days in the history of bad snow in Birmingham) she was due to fly to Lanzarote. Finally, she boarded her plane ready to enjoy her 5 days away to be told the plane wasn’t moving and if it did it was going to Gran Canaria and in the morning they would all be flown to Lanzarote. Well after 19 hours of delays and the thought of another 24 hours travelling my friend and 14 others decided to get off the plane and stay in Birmingham. The Ryanair cabin crew asked them all their names etc and was assured that their luggage would be taken off the plane. They went through security again to wait for their luggage. She is still waiting! There were no Ryanair representatives at their desk. In fact there were only 2 people working 1 was a police officer the other appeared to be a check in person (her words not mine). Suffice to say after numerous emails, telephone calls and letters Ryanair have stated that “unfortunately as no damage or loss was reported to the handling representatives immediately upon collection of your baggage at the Baggage Claims Desk in Arrivals Hall of the airport (there was no one around to report to), I regret to advise you that I am not in a position to proceed with your claim”. The letter goes on to quote Ryanairs General Terms and Conditions of Carriage, Article 15.1.1 & 15.1.2.
Ryanair admitted that the luggage was in Gran Canaria & said that they would return it on the next available flight 6 months later she feels like Diana Ross “still waiting”.
Where can she go from here??

I travelled from Gran Canaria to London Stansted with my daughter on the 04/07/2018, the booking reference is K1CG2N, then I had to get on another flight from London Stansted to Dublin where I am residing. My Ryanair flight was delayed and we only had 30 mins to get our cabin bags from baggage reclaim and go through security. While waiting for our bags, there was a delay in the bags coming out. I went to a Ryanair desk and asked them what I could do, a woman there said that I should go try and make my flight and she would send our bags on the next flight to Dublin. She took a picture of the manual bag tag that we got. When we got to Dublin we waited until the next flight came and went to the Ryanair baggage desk in Dublin, they said that no bags came, they also told us to contact London Stansted airport as you were the only people that could help us. We didn’t receive a reference number or anything. All we have is the customer receipt with the number that is on the bag tags from Gran Canaria to Dublin.

Hi
How did you go on?
I’ve just returned to Manchester T3 from Tenerife at 1am this morning. By 2am I realised that my suitcase along with 7 others were missing. I spoke to the guys who unload the cases and they said the plane was empty. As there wasn’t anyone around to help, one lady used the phone on the baggage desk and a guy from T1 eventually came to speak to us. He looked at all our luggage receipts and said a number was missing and the cases were probably still in Tenerife! He said to ring Ryanair asap. I obviously haven’t got a reference number from Ryanair as you suggest. Hope they’ll be help when I ring them in a few hours. 😏

Hi
I’ve just returned to Manchester T3 from Tenerife at 1am this morning. By 2am I realised that my suitcase along with 7 others were missing. I spoke to the guys who unload the cases and they said the plane was empty. As there wasn’t anyone around to help, one lady used the phone on the baggage desk and a guy from T1 eventually came to speak to us. He looked at all our luggage receipts and said a number was missing and the cases were probably still in Tenerife! He said to ring Ryanair asap. I obviously haven’t got a reference number from Ryanair as you suggest. Hope they’ll be help when I ring them in a few hours. 😏

Ryanair lost my luggage on Saturday just gone from Alicante to Southend, Initially I had been so impressed with Southend Airport until Saturday that is. I went to the Ryanair desk and reported the missing bag, they were less than helpful, they filled out their forms and gave me the papers, however their ineptitude left me with useless papers as they did not write the Unique tracking number, which has left me powerless to trace my luggage!!!!
you cannot talk to anybody at Ryanair, they refuse to give you a person to have a conversation with, they direct you to a form to fill in, which I have already done!!!! never again will I risk my belongings to Ryanair.

HI
I lost my bag when i was travelling from London (SEN) to CPH and i did not received my bag as Copenhagen was my origin.
Now more then 30 days has been passed. That was my check in bag and Ticket was bought by Dankort. Not bought travel insurance.
Can anyone guide me what should i have to do can i recover everything in compensation.
Please Guide me.

Hi
On Monday 16 December from Barcelona to London Stansted with the Ryanair Flight FR 3843, arrived at 17:05. I forgot a small paper bag under my seat – shopping bag form Barcelona’s duty free.

I contacted the lost and found service – see below – and they said that they didn’t find the bag.
I am 100000% sure where I left the bag there. I tried at the moment to collected by walking back to the plain and they didn’t allow me, I tried to speak to a staff but it was impossible. I know where I left the bag- I forgot it while helping an old lady with her language as there were nobody to help her. i was almost last in the plan, so the crew should have found it!! it is a matter of if they gave it to the lost and found or…..
I contacted Ryanair and the official respond was that: “it is not their responsibility”…
I filled in and sent the complain form, nobody has answered to me….